One of the biggest and most expensive productions to ever come out of South Africa, Shaka Ilembe is the height of excellence and backing local talent and the arts.
And I'm not talking about the way we go on stage and make promises to support the performance craft but never do, or by urging them to apply for grants and go through ridiculous red tape.
This production will make a huge bottom-line impact on over 10,000 lives. For a story as old as the Zulu nation, we didn't expect anything less.
Bomb Productions' highly anticipated Shaka Ilembe 12-part series is out and having seen the first episode, it is the most ambitious TV show in South African history.
No expense was spared on casting the best of Mzansi primetime for lead roles in the series and costume and set designs that transport you to South Africa in the 1700s in every detail, from housing to language to food and politics.
Although lead funder Multichoice has not disclosed the amount of money spent to make the show, we know it is in the hundreds of millions. Bomb Productions fought to win the rights to make the series because the American Showtime network also bid interest in filming their version with a backing of $90 million to rival the local producers.
Mzansi sweetheart Nomzamo Mbatha, who plays the role of Nandi, King Shaka's mother, was also an executive director on the show, which on its own would not be cheap.
Add brilliant actors such as Mondli Makhoba and Safta award-winning actor Wiseman Mcube. Plus King Shaka himself, Lemogang Tsipa, with a supporting cast of fierce stars like Dawn Thandeka King, S'thandiwe Kgoroge, Khabonina Qubeka, Abdul Khoza and Senzo Radebe, it is a big deal.
The magnitude of the set is on what you could call a Hollywood blockbuster scale, taking nearly six years to produce.
In this first season of the show, Bomb Productions brought together 9,150 contributors, made up of 900 crew of stunt people, dancers, musicians and 250 actors.
Add on a further 8,000 background actors in KwaZulu-Natal and Johannesburg where the series was shot.
According to News 24, more than 2,000 costumes were made, with the show using 420 wigs and hairstyles along with 8,000 strings of beads.
The Johannesburg sets alone took more than nine months to build. No detail was spared as even the grass budget was worth a few top executive salaries.
One of the most expensive scenes to shoot was an epic battle in episode 3.
It was shot over six days and nights and needed an incredible amount of lights and props. And filming in the winter meant extra comforts had to be brought to help the actors who mainly filmed in short traditional attire.
For the next season, the team will rely on a lot of CGI, especially for scenes with thousands as King Shaka's army grows - but up to 10,000 people were hired by this single-season production. It has made a huge difference in the lives of creatives who have just come out of Covid-19 restrictions.
The costume team was another sheer moment of brilliance for local talent and skill.
Award-winning production costume designer Sheli Masondo was the lead designer for the show. She has worked on global productions like Beyonce Knowles' Black is King film based on The Lion King and now the biggest production in South Africa.
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The show's power to get people employed did not stop there. On premiere night, more than 10 Mzansi designers made Zulu-inspired garments for the cast to walk down the red carpet - cementing how this production makes business sense on and off the set.
It would be difficult to pick a favourite, but Mbatha's unique outfit which featured ruching, gold breastplates and wire woven into a stunning dress was one of the big eye-catchers of the night. It was created by Cape designer Andile Makaula.
The sheer strength in the investment in Shaka Ilembe is a beautiful gesture of faith and a great business move by MultiChoice. It opens the path for actors to be paid fairly global exposure, and to play roles that are not your usual drama soaps.
